In To Kill a Mockingbird, who are the "mockingbirds"?  Why do you say that?  Who in today's society might be considered mockingbirds?  Why?

In Part I of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem learn many of the "hidden" rules of Maycomb and society at large.  These are rules that everyone seems to operate under although they are never explicity taught.  What are some hidden rules in our society?  You can think of the microcosm of MRMS or the wider world at large.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout's early experiences with school are disappointing.  What do YOU think school should be about?  Use at least three of your List Two vocabulary words in your description.  Please remember blogs must use correct punctuation and capitalization and be at least five sentences long.

What would you "title" the table where you sit for lunch?  Why did you choose it?  What might other people "title" your table?  Why might they say that?  What table can you not picture yourself at?  Why?  How might titles and labels lead to prejudice?  Are any prejudices okay?

Both in the dramatization of The Diary of Anne Frank and in the novel we will be reading next, To Kill a Mockingbird, characters are faced with moral dilemmas regarding how they choose to treat other people.  About the Holocaust, Marion Pritchard said "We are our brother's keeper.  When you truly believe that, you have to behave that way in order to be able to live with yourself."  Who in the Anne Frank situation would agree?  Who would disagree?  What actions or attitudes from those characters lead you to your conclusion?

Now that you have read the short story and watched a film version of "The Monkey's Paw," please compare and contrast these two genres.  How did the writer convey mood?  How did the director?  What elements of the story line did the director find crucial?  Which did he leave out or change?  Is the theme the same in both?  Which do you think is more effective in communicating the theme?

Good readers find ways to connect what they read to their own experiences.  Think of a situtation that relates in some way to Laurence Yep taking on the rat with his dad to feel a sense of accomplishment; a Pandora's Box situation with great potential for good or bad that made you very curious; or a culture shock similar to Naomi Shihab Nye's experience moving from the United States to Jerusalem. 

What was your situation?  What did you learn from it? 

(Only complete, well-written, grammatically correct responses will be published and recorded.)

Fairy Tales often center on the perspective of the "hero" or "heroine" exclusively.  However, other characters have motivations, too, that could be considered.  For example, the novel and stage play Wicked tell the Wizard of Oz tale from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. 

For your blog entry, choose a well-known story and write an editorial to the local paper from a different character's point of view.  Be sure to use proper punctuation, spelling, etc. as you try to "set the record straight."

In the story "Who are you today, Maria?" the main character has to decide if she considers her cultural heritage a joke or a poem.  How would you respond to that question?  What do you value about your heritage?  What do you not know about or understand well?  Please write a grammatically accurate, complete paragraph about what you think of your heritage and how it relates to your identity.

This quarter our unit question is "How will you play your hand?"  After playing a round of cards and hearing some of Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture," I want you to think about what  the strongest cards in your "hand" might be.  What are the greatest assets you possess that you really didn't have much to do with?  Do you have great family support?  Are you naturally very focused and determined?  Do you have musical or athletical ability that you were just born with?  Have you always made friends easily?  Describe one to three "cards" that you think are the strongest in your hand right now.